Midnight Bells are Ringing
by Hikari Kaitou
Summary: You know how it is when everyone's in on the joke except for you? Kurogane is about to find out. And now the group is stuck in a world where people sponateously turn into chickens. What's a ninja to do? KxF and hints of SxS.
1. Laying the Groundwork

**A/N**: Wow, those last two entries were freakin' SAPPY! BARF!

So now I'm trying something a little different here… but don't worry, there's still a little bit of lovey-dovey goodness; after all, it's not a bad thing when it's taken in small doses. And of course, there's some KuroxFai goodness here, just because I couldn't resist. I mean… this is _me_ we're talking about.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this one and, uh… don't talk to strangers. Bye!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Laying the Groundwork**

A tall, thin blond man strode into the shop, a fat white rabbit-thing perched joyfully on his shoulder. He flashed Naoko a cheerful smile as he approached the counter and the girl returned it, standing to greet her customer.

"Hello miss," he trilled, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the counter. "I understand you sell illusions?"

"Yes, that's right," Naoko nodded. "Are you interested in buying one today?"

"Maybe," he grinned. "What sort of illusions are they?"

"We have lots of different kinds. Some can create animals, or people and we even have a few that can create an alternate reality," the girl said excitedly, her glasses glinting in the sunlight that was coming through the display window. Ever since she was a small child, she had possessed a deep interest in all things mystic and supernatural.

At the mention of an alternate reality, the man's face took on a look of deep interest.

"Did you hear that Fai!" the rabbit-thing squealed. "Alternate realities! That would be perfect!"

"They're kind of expensive," Naoko admitted. "But they are very high quality and can last for up to six hours!"

The man called Fai straightened up a bit and brushed a lock of golden hair from his face.

"When you say 'alternate realities', what exactly do you mean?"

"It can be used on multiple people at once to make them imagine that they are in a completely different place. In this new world, you can go anywhere within its borders. You can talk to people, either your friends that you choose to bring with you or the fictional people that reside in the illusionary world. Basically, anything that you can do in the regular world, you can do in the fake world as well; eat, run, jump, pick things up, go swimming… whatever you want. The only difference is that nothing you get in the illusionary world can come back to the real world with you. Although that might seem like a disadvantage, it can be a good thing as well; should you sustain any injuries in the fake world, they will disappear once you get back to the real world. Hmm… anything else I forgot…? Oh, one more thing; occasionally, there will be minor glitches in the illusion and you might find yourself able to do things that you wouldn't normally be able to do…but most people see that as a good thing. Other than that, I think that's all there is to know."

Naoko had been carefully watching Fai's expression during her explanation and saw that he was hooked on the idea, becoming more intrigued with every feature she mentioned. He looked over at the white rodent on his shoulder, a wide grin spread across his fair-skinned face. "It sound's great, doesn't it Mokona?"

Mokona nodded enthusiastically. "It sure does!"

"Are there different illusions to choose from or are they all the same?" Fai asked.

"We have lots of different choices!" Naoko beamed. "Would you like to see them?"

"I'd like that very much," the blond replied.

Naoko spun on her heel, her short brown hair swishing out behind her, and skipped off to the back room to retrieve the box of illusions. As she disappeared, Mokona hopped off Fai's shoulder and onto the counter, where he practically danced in anticipation.

"This is a great idea you had, Fai!" he chattered. "I'm so excited!"

"Me too!" Fai laughed. "It's going to be so much fun!"

Naoko reappeared, holding a large cardboard box which she set down on the counter and pushed towards Fai so that he could look through his options.

"It's a good thing you came so early in the morning," the girl remarked as her customer began to examine the items in the box, "otherwise we'd probably be sold out. These things sell rather quickly this time of year."

"Yes…" Fai muttered distractedly, "I imagine they probably would…"

The illusions came in the form of smooth, shiny, multicolored capsules about the size and shape of an egg. Each one was labeled with a description of the world it produced. After looking through all of them, Fai finally chose a sleek, jet-black capsule from the very bottom of the box.

"I think this one would be the coolest," the wizard said, holding his chosen illusion out for Mokona to examine. "What do you think, Mokona?"

"Ooh, yes!" the white creature gushed.

"We'll take this one," Fai said, handing the capsule to Naoko. She took it from him, frowning, and turned it carefully between her fingers.

"That's odd," she muttered, "I've never seen this one before…"

Then the girl shrugged and began to ring up the sale. Fai handed her the flower-shaped card that contained their money so that she could scan it.

"How big are these things?" the wizard asked as the young clerk put his capsule in a brown paper bag and handed it to him. "I mean, do you have to take it to a wide-open space to use it?"

"Nope," Naoko said, smiling once more. "With these illusions, the whole thing happens in your head. You don't actually have to go anywhere."

"Hyuuu!" Fai pseudo-whistled. "These things really are perfect!"

The girl handed back the flower-shaped card and the wizard gave a slight bow. "Thank you very much, miss," he said, "and have a lovely day."

"You too!" Naoko called after him as he left the store.

As soon as Fai had gone, Naoko put a hand to her face and sighed dreamily; that cheerful blond had been positively delicious. It disappointed her that he had left so soon. She shivered in anticipation at the things they could have done together… like go into the dimly-lit back room, and made mad, steaming, passionate…hot chocolate (what were _you_ thinking? She's only in fifth grade, for heaven's sake!). She sighed again at the thought and returned to work, stocking the display shelves. She loved her job.

* * *

Fai, Syaoran and Sakura were all sitting on the floor of the wizard's bedroom, the door securely shut and locked. Mokona stood guard outside, making sure no one walked in on the group as Fai filled the two younger travelers in on the plan.

"So," Fai said excitedly, clapping his hands, "do you understand what to do?"

"Yes," Syaoran said, looking somber as usual.

"I-I think so," Sakura nodded nervously.

"Good!" the wizard sang. "You two are the coolest; thanks for agreeing to celebrate your birthdays tomorrow so you could help me with this. We'll have the biggest party ever once we're done."

"No problem," Syaoran said. "We're glad to be able to help."

"But Fai san…" Sakura stammered. "Are—are you sure this is a good idea? I mean… are you sure he won't be angry with us?"

"No," Fai said, a huge smile spread across his lips. "I imagine he'll be quite furious…but you know how he is: all bark and no bite. Besides, you can blame the whole thing on me."

"But won't he yell at you?" Sakura asked timidly.

"Yep!" Fai giggled.

The princess smiled at the wizard's care-free attitude. "You really care about him, don't you? He's so lucky to have you as a friend… We all are."

"Aww, you're so sweet, Sakura chan!" Fai said. "I really don't deserve all this praise!"

"Of course you do, Fai san! You shouldn't discredit yourself!" Sakura insisted.

Syaoran watched his princess quietly, a smile lingering on his face. Even though she had lost her memory, she was still the same Sakura that he had fallen for all those years ago.

* * *

Kurogane sat on the floor of his room in the dark. It was unlike the ninja to sulk but he couldn't help it; not after seeing Princess Tomoyo's look-alike in the market place yesterday. When he saw her beautiful young face he became bitter, remembering the forceful manner in which she had sent him away. And for what? He had just been doing his job in the best way he could. If someone threatened his princess, of course they were going to die. And so what if he enjoyed doing it? Weren't you supposed to choose a career you loved?

Stupid Tomoyo hime. Someone should put her in a box and never let her out. Kurogane thought about that for a moment. Though it might be ok if they peeked in the box every so often…just to make sure everything was alright in there… and it might not be a bad idea if they kept the lid open for a little while, just to let in a bit of sunlight…maybe they could even let her sneak out real quick to let her stretch her legs sometimes and then put her right back in. Kurogane sighed and put his face in his hands. Like he would be able to do that. He might be the most brutal warrior in all of Japan but when it came to Tomoyo hime, he was a total pushover. Stupid Tomoyo hime…grumble grumble…

* * *

**A/N:** Hmm, what do you think? Too long? Too short? Too (God forbid) round and shiny? I can't tell. I know there are a few holes but I'm trying to do a sort of suspense thing so they'll be filled in as we go. This chapter wasn't all that amusing but, as the chapter's title suggests, I'm just laying the groundwork here. The next one will be funnier, I promise! So, until then, be good girls and boys and leave me a review. NOW! 


	2. For Whom the Clock Chimes

A/N: Oh ho! Back for more, are we! Good because otherwise I would cry. Some of you may be able to guess which video game I borrowed the scenery for the rest of our story from. If you liked that game, you can have fun playing "draw the parallels" between this fic and the original material. If you didn't like that game, you can drop dead because it was freakin' awesome. But I changed enough stuff that it shouldn't be too agonizing for you. If you've never played that game, then… I have nothing to say to you, I guess.

Ok, now READ or I shall bite you.

**Chapter 2**

**For Whom the Clock Chimes**

_Kuronyaaaa_

Hnnn?

_Kuronyaaa_

What?

_Wakey wakeeeeeeey!_

No, dammit. Lemme alone…

PokePoke

Go away…

_Kuronyaaaaa_

Wait a minute… it smells like… "MAGICIAN!"

Kurogane did a back handspring over Fai's head, drawing the dagger he always kept on his person and landing, cat-like, behind the wizard, poised to attack. Fai watched his stunt with an expression of mild amazement. Ignoring the ninja's snarling face, the blond clapped.

"Hyuuu! That was way cool!" he cheered.

"WHAT—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM!" Kurogane spat. Then he lowered his dagger and blinked.

A big smile was spreading across Fai's face as he watched the ninja take in his surroundings. "Something wrong, Kurowanko?"

"What the hell…?" Kurogane muttered, his eyes darting around suspiciously. "…Did we change worlds?"

Fai took on an expression of slight surprise and looked around the room as if he were just now noticing it. "Hmm…so we have…"

Kurogane's shoulders slumped. "Are you telling me that you're just now noticing?" he asked in exasperation.

Fai shrugged. "Well, not everyone is as observant as you, Kurotan."

"You dumb ass!" the ninja shouted. "It looks nothing like the world we were in before!"

He had a point; the room they found themselves in now was dark and dreary, lit by candles that sat in various places around the premises. The walls and floor were made of plain, unpainted wood and furniture was sparse: a small bed with a wooden frame and a single, worn green blanket, a battered night stand with a drawer and a candle sitting on top, a rickety, two-shelved wooden bookcase in the corner and a green mat on the floor in front of the entrance. Oh, and there was a…

"Huh?" Kurogane grunted, crossing the room in only a few strides to examine the object more closely. "What is this thing?"

Fai joined his companion in examining the thing. "It appears to be a large, plush, bear face-shaped pillow."

"Well what the hell is it doing here?"

"I don't know," the wizard grinned, "but look, isn't it cute?"

Kurogane's eye twitched. He hated cutesy girl things. Just looking at it made him angry.

"It looks like it wants to die," Kurogane snarled, taking out his dagger once more.

The bear-face pillow's expression contorted into a scowl as it hopped up in the air and swallowed him whole. There was a muffled sound of surprise from the pillow's downy depths and the plushy animal sat back in its corner, looking rather pleased with itself.

"Aww, I think it likes you, Kuronro!" Fai called cheerfully.

The ninja struggled violently to free himself from the carnivorous pillow as the bedroom door opened. Fai turned to face the visitor, ignoring his thrashing companion on the floor.

"Oh! I thought I heard something up here!" a young black-haired boy with a cheerful round face chirped, clapping his hands together in delight.

"Sorry if we're intruding," the wizard bowed slightly.

"Don't worry about it," the boy said, waving the apology away. "Your friends already explained the situation to me."

"You've met Syaoran and Sakura, then?" Fai asked happily. Kurogane was still kicking and punching violently on the floor. "I'm Fai D. Flowrite, by the way."

"Takeshi Yamazaki," the boy trilled. Then a slight frown crossed his face. "Who's that?"

He pointed to the ninja that was buried in the bear pillow.

"Oh, that's our cute little Kurowanko!" Fai beamed.

"IT'S KUROGANE, DAMMIT! AND I'M NOT CUTE, YOU SCRAWNY BASTARD!"

"I see your friend has already insulted Kuma san!" Yamazaki grinned. "Excellent! Well, now that we're all acquainted, why don't you come on down stairs? There's a little predicament we could use your help with."

"Sure thing," Fai agreed. "Come on, Kurowanko!"

The bear pillow spit the ninja out and resumed its spot the corner, smiling innocently. Kurogane shot the thing a look of horror as he dashed out of the room.

Yamazaki took a seat on a green couch in the living room and the five travelers gathered around him in a semi-circle like a group of eager children awaiting a bedtime story. Kurogane's eyes were darting around the room nervously and he was carefully avoiding contact with any furniture for fear that it might devour him again. The boy's face became solemn for the first time. He took a deep breath before beginning his tale.

"Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who always wore a blue hood and bright pink pants. Everyone laughed at her because they made her look stupid. One day, she decided to go to the wolf's house to eat his pie. Her mother said 'don't talk to any strangers and don't stray from the path or a big ugly guy will jump out of a tree and chew on your face'. As soon as she walked out of the house, she was flattened by a giant gingerbread man. The end."

Everyone stared at the boy. Syaoran looked confused. Kurogane looked exasperated and annoyed. Fai and Mokona looked amused. Sakura, however, looked horrified.

"Oh no, how terrible!" Sakura gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. "That poor girl!"

Everyone turned to stare at her instead.

"A-ah, Princess Sakura…" Syaoran stammered. "I…I don't think…"

"He just made up a stupid story," Kurogane growled. "It's not true…jeez."

"But…but what happened to the girl?" Sakura demanded. "Was she hurt?"

"I'm afraid she died," Yamazaki said somberly. "And birds came from the heavens and feasted on her flesh."

Sakura's eyes widened and rapidly filled with tears.

"Ooh! Come here Sakura chan," Fai said sympathetically, letting the princess crawl into his lap and whispering comforting words to her as he stroked her hair. Kurogane and Syaoran, who had been watching this little display with wide eyes, simultaneously huffed and folded their arms as they turned their heads away, jealous.

"So," Kurogane growled, trying to dispel the awkwardness of the situation, "what's really going on here?"

"Joking aside," Yamazaki said, becoming seriously serious this time, "this town is in trouble. You all are, just by being here."

"Why?" Mokona asked.

"It's been happening for about three weeks now; every time the clock chimes, someone in this town turns into a chicken. There are hardly any people left in the town at all," Yamazaki explained.

"Eh? They turn into chickens?" Kurogane grunted. "You expect us to believe that?"

"You can always tell who the next target is because their eyes start doing this weird glimmering thing," Yamazaki continued, doing a flashing motion with his hands on either side of his head to illustrate his point.

"Can they still talk and stuff?" Mokona asked.

Yamazaki looked at the white creature as if it had just uttered the stupidest stream of nonsense he had ever heard. "Uhhh, no… they don't talk."

"Hmm, that's weird," Mokona said.

"Why, do chickens talk where you come from?" Yamazaki asked.

"No, but—"

"Well shut up then." The boy then picked up the rodent, took him to the door and drop kicked him outside.

The group watched through the window as Mokona went flying off into the distance and disappeared.

"Hey look, it flies," Fai giggled, pointing in the direction that Mokona had gone.

Kurogane gritted his teeth and pounded the floor with his fist. "Why didn't I think of doing that!"

"So do they remember stuff from when they were human, then?" Syaoran asked, as if nothing had happened.

"I don't know. I've never asked one of them," Yamazaki said thoughtfully. "But my mom turned into one and when I went near her she would either run away or try to peck my eyes out. She doesn't usually do that so I would guess that they don't retain their memories."

"Maybe she just doesn't like you," Kurogane grumbled.

"Yes she does!" Yamazaki shouted. "You're lying!"

"That's what I would do," the ninja shrugged. "Seems like turning into a chicken would be the perfect cover story for getting revenge on your kids for all the crap they've given you over the years. After all, you can't arrest a chicken for child abuse."

"Now now, Daddy," Fai scolded, though he had a large smile on his face as usual. "Be nice."

"SHUT UP! I'M NOT YOUR FREAKING DADDY!" Kurogane snapped.

"I wonder if this could have anything to do with Princess Sakura's feather…" Syaoran mused.

"I bet it does!" Sakura agreed. "We have to help!"

"You'll help us?" Yamazaki breathed, taking one of her hands between his and staring pleadingly into her eyes. "You mean it!"

"Of course we do," Syaoran said with an encouraging smile.

"We'll all help," Fai sang. "Even this guy!"

He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Kurogane.

"DON'T VOLUNTEER ME FOR STUFF, DUMB ASS!" the ninja shouted, jumping to his feet so that he could stomp on the offending wizard. "Besides, I still think the kid is full of it."

Yamazaki opened his mouth to reply when there was a loud "BONG!" that made everyone jump. The four travelers stared at Yamazaki, frozen.

"Ah! Yamazaki kun! Your eyes!" Sakura shouted, pointing at the boy's face.

His eyes were glimmering strangely as though they had lights behind them.

Yamazaki's face went pale as the clock chimed again and he ran to a mirror that hung on the wall to see for himself. He let out a shrill scream started clawing at his own face as if removing the offending eyeballs would keep him from transforming. The clock struck again. The hysteria that was going on in the house was nothing to what was happening outside; people were running back and forth, past their window, screaming senselessly, scaring a flock of chickens that had once been villagers, who clucked wildly, sending a whirlwind of dirt and feathers into the air. Those who weren't screaming or clucking were either sobbing and hugging each other or just standing there, looking terrified, their wide eyes moving ceaselessly as they tried to see who the next victim was.

Yamazaki thrashed wildly on the floor, pushing himself in circles on his side. Everyone else looked helplessly between each other and the writhing figure before them, not sure what they could do to aid him. Everyone except Kurogane, that is, who plopped down on the couch, pulled out a bag of popcorn and sat back to watch the show.

Once the clock had struck for the ninth and final time, there was a loud "POOF!" and a big cloud of smoke. All the noise outside stopped abruptly to be replaced with a terrible silence as the dust settled. The only noise outside Yamazaki's door was some maniac who burst out laughing. A three-year-old child took a pistol from the pocket of his overalls and shot said maniac in the shoulder, screaming "SHUT UP, YOU DUMB ASS!" The child's mother patted him proudly on the head and whispered "That's my boy!"

It took a little longer for the smoke inside the house to clear but the group could hear the tell-tale clucking even before they could see what was left of their friend. It finally thinned out, revealing a large, fluffy, white rooster which was fighting its way out of a pile of the clothes that Yamazaki had been wearing. Sakura gasped and clapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears once more. Fai moved to comfort her but Syaoran "accidentally" stepped on the wizard's coat at the same time that Kurogane knocked over the table beside the couch which just "happened" to block the princess's way. Pretending not to noticed that he had trod of Fai's long robe, Syaoran darted forward to console Sakura while the ninja muttered "oops" and picked up the end table, shoving it roughly back into place. Fai gave Kurogane a shrewd smile to which the warrior returned a glare as if daring him to say something. The wizard said nothing but blew Kurogane a kiss.

"Bastard," Kurogane muttered under his breath without looking at Fai.

"P-poor Yamazaki kun," Princess Sakura sniffled, looking tearfully at the rooster who was scratching the floor unconcernedly, looking for seeds. "Wh-what can we d-do to change him back?"

"I think…" Syaoran began slowly, "…we'll have to go to the clock tower."

They all looked out the window. Beyond a large stretch of dark forest stood a tall clock tower, its face glowing menacingly in the night. None of them were really looking forward to making that journey; except Kurogane, whose face broke into a wolfish smile at the thought of all the monsters that could be waiting in there to be slaughtered by his sword

…and Fai, who smiled just as he always did but was secretly imagining the fun he could have with the ninja in a dark forest (not all of which was innocent)

… and Syaoran, who anticipated finding his princess's feather there, bringing him one step closer to completing his mission

…and Sakura, who could see herself clinging to Syaoran's arm under the excuse that she was afraid…But other than that, no one was looking forward to that journey at all.

A/N: Heh heh… Mokona got drop-kicked…heh… Yeah, alright, don't have a fit. The irritating little thing will be back. It's like a freakin' cockroach; you can't kill it!

So…You like? You no like? I wanna know so clicky clicky the review button. And by all means, come back later. I'm working on the next chappy right now. Seriously, I have my laptop (which I endearingly refer to as "lappy") on my legs while I type this author's note while simultaneously using the "big computer" to work on the next chapter. My point is it'll be up soon. Ta ta everyone!


	3. Into the Woods

**A/N:** Alright, here's the goods. That took a little longer than I had anticipated. Ha ha…oops. I'll blame it on…er… my dog. My dog ate lappy and I had to redo the whole thing. Yeah! That's what happened!

Pfft. Right. Or not. My dog is about the size of a football. But whatever. You may commence with your reading and I do hope that nothing you read in this fic causes you to be arrested…that would be sad.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Into the Woods**

When the group left Yamazaki's house, they had all been eager and determined to get going. However by the time they had made it out of Yamazaki's neighborhood, their resolve had weakened significantly. Wandering villagers had made just making it down that one stretch of road a nightmare. All of them had been pecked, scratched and picked over and were now sporting some nasty cuts and rips in their clothing; all except for Sakura who had been under Syaoran's protection.

This might have been a lucky break for Sakura but Syaoran wasn't exactly enjoying himself as he had twice the injuries that everyone else had. He wasn't complaining though; it was an honor to be able to protect his princess. Besides, if Sakura took that kind of beating she might get upset and require some comforting which Fai would instinctively move in to offer. Syaoran liked Fai. He didn't want to have to hurt him. But if Fai got between him and his princess, he would have to be promptly bowled over. Besides, Syaoran got the strange feeling that Kurogane wouldn't want Fai comforting Sakura either, though he couldn't imagine why that would be. The ninja had never expressed the slightest interest in Sakura…and there was no way he was interested in _Fai_. That would be crazy! **A/N:** pffft! Ha ha ha ha!

"There's _got_ to be an easier way to do this!" Kurogane growled, kicking a villager and sending him (her? It?) flying with an indignant squawk. "You! Wizard! You can use magic! Put a spell on them to make 'em stay the hell away!"

"Hush, little Kuromun!" Fai cooed, leaning against the ninja's chest and putting a finger to his lips. "Don't tell lies."

"GET OFF ME!" Kurogane snapped, color rising in his face as he shoved the wizard away. "Damn magician."

Fai lingered just out of Kurogane's reach, giggling to himself. Syaoran moved to intercept another chicken that had tried to peck his princess, getting a vicious-looking cut across his arm for his trouble. "I wonder how the people who haven't been turned into chickens do it," he mused as Sakura apologized once more for being so much trouble. "There must be a trick to it."

The four of them pressed on at a pace that was excruciating in more than one sense. Even Sakura sustained a few minor cuts; there were simply too many of them for Syaoran to fight off on his own. Fai looked over at Kurogane, and expression of surprise on his face. Though the ninja was radiating an anger so intense that it could have fried those lousy chickens, he was taking their abuse rather well. No sooner had this thought crossed Fai's mind than Kurogane finally lost his temper.

"DAMMIT! I DON'T CARE IF THERE'S A FREAKING CURSE ON ME! I'M GONNA MURDER THESE DAMN CHICKENS!" he roared, jerking his blade from its sheathe and brandishing it threateningly at the noisy birds.

"Ah! Ku-Kurogane san!" Syaoran stammered timidly. "Y-You shouldn't do that…!"

"Y-yeah, you might hurt them!" Sakura whimpered.

"THAT'S THE POINT!" Kurogane snapped. His fist connected with one of the chickens, sending it flying.

"Excuse me, sir," a cool voice said from behind them, "but I would very much appreciate it if you could keep your fist from connecting with my sister and send her flying."

The four travelers turned to see who was speaking to them. A small boy with neat black hair, a black suit and a bored expression stood there, an ice cream bucket in his hand. Kurogane glared at him for a moment, the blood from his various injuries making him look all the more intimidating. The boy wasn't fazed by the ninja's "glare-o'-death" however and simply met his gaze.

"WELL KEEP HER THE HELL OFF ME THEN!" Kurogane shouted.

The boy calmly took the lid off his ice cream bucket, making a faint popping noise as he did so. Though the noise could hardly be heard over the racket the chickens were making, it caused all of them to freeze and fix their eyes on the boy and his bucket. He reached a hand in and dug out a handful of corn, tossing it over his shoulder. The effect was instantaneous: the villagers immediately forgot about attacking Syaoran and his group and dove for the corn, tripping over each other in their hurry to get the first taste.

"If you would follow me then, please," he said indifferently as he put the lid back on his bucket and brushed off his hands. The four travelers gratefully fell in behind their savior, leaving the savage chickens to scramble for the remaining corn.

"Hyuuu! This is an awesome house!" Fai commented as the boy entered the code on the main entrance gate.

"Why thank you, Mr. ah…"

"Oh, it's Fai. Fai D. Flowrite."

"Mr. Flowrite," the boy repeated. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Minoru Kokubunji."

"And this is Syaoran kun, Sakura chan and Kuropi," Fai said.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU! IT'S KUROGANE, DAMMIT!"

"Please come in." Minoru stepped aside and bowed them through the gate which automatically closed behind them.

All of them silently followed their young host, taking in their surroundings with awe. He lead them up the paved driveway that cut through the vast, sweeping grounds, past an ornate marble fountain and towards a huge white Victorian-style mansion that was surrounded by trees on both sides. Minoru took out a skeleton key from a long, thin gold chain around his neck and unlocked the door to let them in.

"Please, make yourselves at home. I shall fetch some bandages and perhaps a roll of tape for your loud friend's mouth." He nodded in Kurogane's direction.

The ninja gritted his teeth but said nothing. Fai laughed. Minoru was playing an old trick that parents used on their children to get them to shut up by suggesting that the child was incapable of keeping his mouth closed. It was working beautifully; Kurogane seemed to be holding his tongue just to prove that he could, in fact, be quiet, so there Mr. Meanie Head. Minoru disappeared down one of the lengthy hallways while his guests seated themselves on the lush carpet, not wanting to get any blood on the furniture. Fai spread himself out, cat-like, on the floor.

"Mmm, I like this carpet," he purred. "Kurochi, lay down on it with me!"

"Sit up, dumb ass," Kurogane growled. _It is nice carpet, though_, the ninja thought to himself.

"See! I told you!" Fai grinned. "Does Kuromyu have a secret passion for soft things? I think he does!"

Kurogane blinked. How had Fai known that he was thinking that the carpet was nice?

"I don't know," the wizard mused. "I guess you were just thinking it too loud."

Syaoran and Sakura tilted their heads as they looked at Fai, confused. Kurogane looked horrified. That damn magician was reading minds now? Oh, _shit_.

"Hee hee! Does that worry you, Kuronya?" Fai giggled. "Why? What goes on in your head that you don't want me to know about? Maybe some dirty fantasies? Could they be about me? Kuropu, you naughty boy!"

"Don't flatter yourself, wizard," Kurogane snarled, though his cheeks took on a red flush.

"Kyaaa! Kurowan is blushing!" Fai squealed gleefully. "I must have guessed the right answer!"

Kurogane made a grab for the wizard's throat which was easily dodged. Minoru's reappearance halted the ninja's punishment as the boy entered the room holding two rolls of gauze bandages. He tossed one roll to Syaoran and the other to Fai before having a seat in one of the chairs.

"So," he said, leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers in a stereotypical rich-guy manner, "what brings four travelers such as yourselves to a dismal place like this?"

"We're looking for Sakura hime's memories," Syaoran explained. "She lost them because of some kind of enchantment and they were scattered across the dimensions. We think one of them might be in the clock tower."

"Hmm, that makes sense…" Minoru said slowly. "That would explain the strange things that have been going on here recently. I do hope that's the problem; I've been trying to figure it out since it started happening three weeks ago but the answer has been eluding me. I must say, I would be very grateful if you could solve the matter and would be more than willing to give you any reward you could name."

"Anything?" Fai asked excitedly, looking covetously at the carpet beneath his fingers.

"Anything," Minoru nodded. Then he added, "except the carpet. I'm rather attached to it."

"Awwwww," Fai pouted.

"That's very kind of you, Kokubunji san," Syaoran said politely, "but you don't have to give us anything. It'll be our repayment to you for the bandages."

"I am touched by your generosity," Minoru replied, though the bored expression never left his face. "Now, if you don't mind me asking, how are you traveling between dimensions? This is a subject I'm very interested in."

"We use Mokona," Fai said simply. He finished wrapping up the last of his injuries and began to assist Kurogane, easily avoiding every punch the ninja threw at him. Kurogane gritted his teeth, increasing the speed of his attacks to no avail. He wanted to put on the Bandaids himself!

"Mokona?" the boy repeated.

"Yes, he was also traveling with us," the wizard continued. "I'd introduce you but I'm afraid he was punt-kicked into the distance and we haven't come across him yet."

"Curses," Minoru frowned. "Well, if you plan on venturing into the forest, you'll need to take a bucket of this corn along. It's the only thing that will make the villagers leave you alone."

He produced a second ice cream bucket full of corn and gave it to Sakura. She opened the lid curiously to have a closer look at its golden contents.

"I would accompany you on your journey to the clock tower but my dear mother's last words before she became a chicken were 'Minoru, if you meet four travelers, a princess, a peasant, a wizard and a ninja, who are going into the forest, you must not accompany them on their journey to the clock tower.' So, alas, it is now that we part for I simply cannot ignore my mother's final request."

"Wait," Syaoran said, frowning slightly. "How did you know that stuff about us?"

"You mean the bit about the 'princess, peasant, wizard and ninja'?" he asked. "It's written all over your faces."

Syaoran looked over at Sakura and noticed that she did indeed have the word "princess" scribbled across her forehead and cheeks. "I see," he muttered. "So it is."

"Now, I hope you'll excuse me for being so rude but go away. I grow tired of looking at your ridiculous faces," Minoru sighed.

_Stupid little rich bastard_, Kurogane thought angrily.

"I agree Kurotan," Fai nodded as he got to his feet.

The four of them made for the door but Minoru stopped them.

"One more thing," he said. "Mr. Kurogane, if you would be so kind as to get your ass over here."

The ninja scowled as he stepped forward, imagining himself carving the boy up into small pieces. Minoru met his gaze for a moment before suddenly pouncing, catching Kurogane off guard completely, and pinning the stunned ninja to the ground. The boy produced a pair of cat ears on a headband from nowhere and put them on the stunned warrior.

"Local law requires all those who punch chickens to wear these for the remainder of their stay," Minoru explained. "Thus, you shall be stuck with these until you leave town."

"What the hell…!" Kurogane shoved the boy off of him and reached up to rip the ears off. They didn't budge. "WHY AREN'T THESE DAMN THINGS COMING OFF!"

"I believe I just told you that you shall be stuck with those until you leave town," Minoru repeated. "Are those words too large for your inferior mind to comprehend? Do I need to state it more simply for you?"

"You stupid, spoiled little son of a bitch," Kurogane spat, reaching for his sword once more. "I'll carve you up into pieces so small—"

"Now, now, Kurorin," Fai said easily, waving the murderous ninja's threats away. "There will be plenty of things for you to carve up in the forest. Come along now."

The wizard grabbed Kurogane's collar, opened the door and dragged him out onto the step, Syaoran and Sakura quickly falling in behind him, careful to keep their distance from the two. Fai pulled his angry captive behind him, turning to wave cheerfully at their young host.

"Thank you for all your help, Minoru kun!"

"It was my pleasure," the boy said, bowing, a slight smile appearing on his face for the first time. "I wish you luck on your quest."

"Why did you stop me, you damn wizard?" Kurogane snarled at Fai. "That stupid brat needed to be taught a lesson!"

"Now, Kuro chan," Fai scolded. "Don't you think you're being a bit unreasonable? Besides, those kitty ears make you look even cuter than usual!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'CUTER THAN USUAL'!" the ninja roared. "I'M NOT CUTE, DAMMIT!"

"I think you aaaare!" Fai sang.

Syaoran gave Sakura a nervous glance, realizing how strangely quiet she was being. When he looked at her, he suddenly understood why she wasn't talking; her mouth was full.

"P-Princess Sakura?" Syaoran stammered. "Wh-what are you eating?"

She finished chewing before answering. "Corn. Do you want some, Syaoran kun?" she asked, offering him a handful from the bucket.

"Oh no, Sakura chan," Fai said, going to her side and putting a hand on her head the way a parent would when they found their two-year-old sucking on a marker. "Don't eat that, honey. It's for the chickens."

Sakura hung her head. Fai pulled her close and ruffled her hair. "It's ok, Sakura chan. Just don't eat anymore, alright?"

"HEY!" Kurogane said loudly (perfect timing, Kurogane san! Syaoran thought). Fai's attention shifted from the princess to the ninja. "We're at the forest."

The group shifted their attention to the woods looming in front of them (Syaoran took advantage of this distraction, taking Sakura's hand and pulling her behind him slightly at the same time that Kurogane moved so that he was between the wizard and the princess). The trees towered menacingly over them, their thick branches and foliage blocking out the small amount of light that the moon provided. A dense mist swirled between the dark trunks, making the scene appear all the more foreboding. The four travelers stared at the impending doom before them, transfixed. A loud popping sound made them all jump and look around wildly.

"Ah ha, sorry," Syaoran laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "I seem to have sprouted a pair of wings."

He turned his back to show them. A small pair of pink cherub wings had torn through his shirt and were fluttering slightly.

"Ah! They're so cute!" Sakura giggled, reaching out and stroking their feathers. Then she quickly withdrew her hand, blushing. "Sorry!"

"N-no, that's ok!" Syaoran said quickly, his face equally red. "Y-you can pet them if you want!" Then he blinked. "Ah! I said something weird, didn't I! S-sorry!"

"She's right, they are cute," Fai beamed. "Can you fly with them, Syaoran kun?"

Syaoran concentrated as hard as he could on flapping his wings but they seemed to have a mind of their own and refused to obey his commands.

"No, I think they're pretty much useless," Syaoran said finally.

"They're sick, is what they are," Kurogane muttered. "It's an insult to the kid's manly pride to have little pink wings stuck on his back."

"Oh yeah, you'd know, wouldn't you, Kuronyan?" Fai giggled, pointing at the ninja's cat ears.

"Do you want me to cut them off for you, kid?" Kurogane asked, trying to ignore Fai, though there was a vein throbbing in his temple.

"Oh, n-no thanks," Syaoran stuttered. "I'm sure they'll go away eventually."

"Well, if you wanna walk around with sissy wings on your back, it's your business," the ninja shrugged. "I've had enough of this standing around. Let's get this show on the road."

Kurogane began making his way through the trees and the others followed, sticking close to the ninja for protection. Thus began their travels into the woods.

* * *

**A/N: **Dude, that was a long one. Pant, pant, pant… but I had fun doing it so there. Take that. And take a review while you're at it. I mean, make a review… I mean… AAAARGH! SOMEONE BRING ME SOME CANDY, DAMMIT! GIMME SUGAR! 


	4. A Sunny Disposition

**A/N: **Bleargh… oh, poor me. My brain huuuuurts…

Today smelled like butt. My brain was fried from working on this fic every spare second that I have and school is pukey enough as it is without enduring it with a fried brain. And my mom made me mow the lawn… in the freaking 82 degree weather… and it wasn't fun. And I have "behind the wheel" tomorrow. And I hate my instructor with a passion. He can just freaking drop dead. And my psychology teacher went and gave us the "Bob the neural transmitter" assignment… AAAAAAARGH!

Not to mention that I had a bitch of a time trying to figure out how to handle this next chapter. I must have started it about six different times.

Yeahhhh… crapola…

I think I need a hug.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**A Sunny Disposition**

"Did you hear something just now, Kuro chan?" Fai asked.

"No," Kurogane answered shortly. The ninja was leading the group, his sword held defensively in front of him.

"Hee hee, me neither," the wizard giggled.

"Well shut the hell up then," the warrior huffed. "You're breaking my concentration."

Fai adopted a pout. "And _you're_ breaking my heart, Kuropu. Won't you hold my hand? I'm scared!"

Though the ninja's back was to him, Fai could see his ears turning red at the suggestion and he had to work hard to suppress a squeal of delight at this reaction.

"If I—" Kurogane began in a croaky voice, careful to keep his back to the wizard. He cleared his throat and started again, trying not to sound like such a pansy this time. "If I hold your damn hand, will you shut the hell up?"

Fai eagerly grabbed Kurogane's hand and smiled up at him. "Impossible!" he trilled.

The ninja grumbled sullenly under his breath but made no move to shake the wizard off.

"If we had some—" Syaoran cut in quickly, embarrassed by this display, but stopped talking when he walked right into a wall. He was knocked off his feet, landing flat on his butt.

"Ah! Syaoran kun! Are you alright!" Sakura gasped, rushing to his side and kneeling down next to him.

"Um, yeah…" Syaoran said dazedly, rubbing his forehead where it had banged the wall.

"Hey, what gives?" Kurogane asked, folding his arms as he looked down at Syaoran, one eyebrow raised.

"I think…I ran into a wall…" the boy reported.

Fai went over to where Syaoran had injured himself and reached out his hand to feel for a wall. "He's right, Kurowanko," he said, tapping on the barrier with his knuckles. "There is a wall here."

"Eh?" the ninja grunted. "You mean to tell me that this whole forest, except for those couple of trees we just walked through, is fake…?"

"It would appear so…" Fai said, frowning thoughtfully.

"But there must be a way to get to the clock tower," Syaoran mused. "This can't be the edge of the illu—"

The boy halted, mid-sentence, as Fai began to shake his head frantically and quickly pressed a finger to his lips. Realizing that he had almost let it slip that this world was an illusion and ruined the whole set up, Syaoran tried to do some quick thinking to cover up his mistake. "This can't be the edge of the world," he said lamely, quailing slightly under the suspicious look that Kurogane was passing between him and the wizard. "There must be a secret entrance or something…"

"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed suddenly, getting to her feet. "Look over there!"

She pointed to a spot about three yards away from them where the scenery painted on the wall bulged and buckled strangely. The four of them approached it curiously, examining the odd effect. Kurogane drew back his sword and slashed at the deformed spot. His blade sliced through it as if it were paper and pieces of it fell away to reveal a door surrounded by flashing light bulbs. Hanging above the door was a fluorescent sign which displayed the words "secret entrance".

"What the hell?" the ninja muttered, staring at the flashy entry way. "Someone around here has a weird ass sense of humor."

"Hmm, shall we go in, then?" Fai suggested. He reached out to open the door but Kurogane's hand shot out, catching him in the chest.

"Don't open it," the warrior warned. "I smell a trap. I think someone is messing with us."

The four of them were silent for a moment before Syaoran finally spoke up.

"Well… do you have a better idea for getting to the clock tower, Kurogane san?" Basically, this was the boy's polite way of saying "Just open the freaking door, you moron. We don't have any other choice."

"Hnnn…"

Basically, this was the ninja's indirect way of saying "Well, no, but I'd rather _not_ die today, thank you very much."

"Now, Kuropun, don't be scared. I'm here. Let's go on in, ok?" Fai suggested.

Basically, this was the wizard's honest way of saying "Now, Kuropun, don't be scared. I'm here. Let's go in, ok?"

"I'm ready," Sakura agreed.

Basically, this was the princess's quiet way of saying "Oh crap, I'm so scared I'm about to shit myself. Hold me, Syaoran."

Funny how Fai, the member of the group who was hiding the most, was the only one to say what he meant.

With Sakura's approval, the wizard turned the knob and pushed open the door.

A bright light rushed out to greet them, causing all of them to shrink back, shielding their eyes. Though they couldn't yet see what the place beyond the door held, they had no trouble hearing it. A lurid, cheerful music was playing softly in the background.

"_La la dee da, la la deed a, la la la la! Everybody sing a sweet happy song! Bunnies and butterflies play here all day long! Put away you troubles and put on a smile! We're all your friends so just stay here a while!_"

Syaoran squinted through the glaring sun at the place stretched out before them. It was like something out of an infuriatingly stupid children's show; lush green grass grew between the trees, who all had obscenely happy faces, and all manner of cute little rodents scampered through the colorful flowers.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Kurogane groaned, putting his face in his hands.

"Wahh! How cute!" Princess Sakura giggled. She ran through the door and kneeled down in the grass, letting the fluffy little animals come up and sniff cautiously at the hem of her dress.

Seeing that the danger factor was relatively low here, Syaoran came in after her and knelt at her side, allowing the critters to examine him as well.

Fai grinned up at the ninja. "Are you coming, Kuronyan?"

"No, I think I'll just stay out here and rot," the ninja said dryly.

"Oh, come on," the wizard urged, taking Kurogane's hand once more. "You don't have to worry, they're not gonna hurt you."

"I'm not worried, you scrawny bastard!" the ninja snarled. "I'm disgusted! You know how I hate sissy crap like this."

Fai wasn't listening; he was already striding over to where their two younger companions were, dragging the protesting warrior in after him.

"Hey!" the wizard beamed, scooping up a fat black rabbit with messy fur and red eyes and holding it up to show Kurogane. "This one looks just like you, Kurotan!"

The ninja's eye twitched. "Get that thing away from me."

"Why?" Fai teased. "You're not afraid of it, are you?"

"Quit being such a dumb ass," Kurogane growled. "Of course I'm not afraid of it!"

"Ooh, look! There's a sweet little white weasel coming up to you!" the wizard pointed out joyfully. "What will you do, Kurochin?"

Kurogane looked down at the rodent with loathing as it sniffed at his shoe and tried to fit its sharp little teeth around the tip of it.

"I'll tell you what I'll do," the ninja said, a vain throbbing in his temple once more. "I'll kick it!"

He drew back his foot and gave it a good, hard kick in the ass. It squealed in protest as it sailed through the air, landing in the grass a few yards away.

All the cheerful music came abruptly to a halt, the trees stopped dancing and all the cute little animals turned to glare at the warrior. Their eyes gleamed sinisterly as the sky clouded over, becoming an angry purplish color. Suddenly they didn't look so cute and innocent anymore. Actually, they looked rather sinister.

"Uh oh, you've done it now, Kuropon," Fai laughed nervously.

Syaoran quickly pulled Sakura to her feet, forcing her behind him and backing up towards the wall so that he could protect her if the need arose.

Kurogane held his sword up nervously in front of him, taking a defensive stance. He had faced many difficult opponents before but never anything like this. Because his targets were so small, lethal and numerous, they scared him more than any other enemy he could remember facing.

Their surroundings were now as dark and quiet as they had been outside and the atmosphere was twice as threatening. Lightning cracked angrily across the deep purple sky.

The animals began to advance now, revealing sharp fangs and claws that no one would have guessed they had five minutes ago. Saliva dripped from their gaping mouths as they eyed the travelers hungrily.

"Stop!" a voice shouted suddenly. "Don't touch them! _I _will deal with them!"

Syaoran, Sakura, Kurogane and Fai scanned the area for the speaker but saw no one. The animals grumbled mutinously amongst themselves as they backed away. Kurogane closed his eyes and felt for the person's aura. According to his sensors, their attacker was… The ninja's eyes shot open and he threw himself at Fai, knocking him out of the way just in time to keep the wizard from being hit by a shower of poison darts.

"Oh, very impressive, sir," the voice said. "I admire your skill."

Finally, the speaker revealed herself; a tall young woman with tan skin, her blonde hair drawn back into a bun, dressed entirely in loose white clothing with ornate purple designs, carrying a bow and quiver on her back as well as a small wooden tube for shooting darts in her hand. Around her head was a white blindfold which stretched across her eyes, blocking them from view.

Kurogane's scowl deepened as he surveyed her, straightening his posture a bit more.

"You're blind…" he observed with mild surprise.

"A true statement," the girl nodded. "But if you go easy on me because of it, I _will_ kill you."

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"My name is Mie," she replied calmly. "That is all you need to know."

A sardonic smile worked its way onto Kurogane's face. "Your last name wouldn't be 'Masen', would it?"

Mie was silent for a moment before hesitantly replying. "Yes. And I don't want to hear a word out of you about it."

Fai, Syaoran and Sakura stood back, looking puzzled.

A derisive laugh escaped the ninja's lips. "What a ridiculous sense of humor your parents had."

Mie huffed indignantly. "And who might _you_ be?"

"I'm Kurogane," he answered, still smirking. "_My_ parents were a bit more tactful when it came to naming me."

"I don't get it," Fai said, tilting his head to the side.

Kurogane ignored him. "I've had enough of this talk. Are we going to fight, or not, woman?"

A snarl formed on Mie's face as she reached for her bow and a couple arrows. She had just strung her weapon when a loud "BONG!" sounded, causing everyone to jump again.

The clock had begun to chime again.

Even though they were quite a ways from the town, they could still hear the hysteria that the coming of the new hour brought with it. Screams and sobbing echoed through the woods, as well as a chorus of clucking. All the noise caused Kurogane to be distracted; something that could have easily been a fatal mistake had he not remembered at the last second what he was doing and rolled out of the way as two arrows came whizzing past his ear, missing him by centimeters.

BONG!

Kurogane drew back his blade and charged his enemy, keeping his eyes fixed carefully on her as he did so.

BONG!

He thrust his sword at her chest, completely forgetting about the curse besetting him.

BONG!

Mie dodged the attack by crouching and loaded a dart into her tube, taking aim at the exposed underside of the ninja's chin.

BONG!

Kurogane felt something sharp graze his skin, drawing a little blood.

BONG!

Realizing that Kurogane was in a bad situation, Syaoran dashed forward, drawing his own sword.

BONG!

When Mie came darting around the ninja just in time to avoid colliding with him, Syaoran was ready and waiting to meet her.

BONG!

He swung his blade, managing to slash her arm.

BONG!

Using the time Syaoran had bought him, Kurogane spun around, his sword raking across her back.

BONG!

She gasped in pain and fell to one knee, leaving herself susceptible to another attack. Kurogane approached her, blade raised above his head. He looked smugly down at her and—

BONG!

There was a big puff of smoke and Mie was blocked from view momentarily. Syaoran and the ninja stared through the smoke, looks of disbelief on their faces. Sure enough, when the smoke cleared, there sat a chicken. Kurogane threw his sword down bitterly.

"Son of a bitch," he hissed. "That's not fair."

"Ooh, tough luck Kurowan," Fai said. "But at least now your strength won't decrease because of the curse."

Kurogane continued to glare down at the clucking white fowl.

"YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE, YOU STUPID BITCH!" he roared suddenly, startling the chicken. "I WIN 'CAUSE YOU CHEATED!"

Then the ninja spun around to face the previously mutinous little forest animals. "HEY! YOU! YOU'D BETTER GET BACK TO SINGING YOUR DAMN SONGS IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!"

The critters gave him a sullen look before grudgingly going back to their activities prior to Kurogane's abuse of the white weasel. The sky suddenly cleared, becoming its previous sunny self and the music began once more, though it had a distinctly bitter edge to it this time.

"Hyuuu! Way to go Kurorun!" Fai called, rushing over to the ninja and jumping on his back, reaching up with one hand to scratch his kitty ears. "You totally rocked! And you too, Syaoran kun!"

Syaoran grinned sheepishly as Sakura fussed over him, making sure that he wasn't injured.

Kurogane looked smug as he put his sword away.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get out of this hell hole."

* * *

**A/N: **Alright, I know that blind ninja chick's name was a terrible pun but I just couldn't resist. For those of you who don't know, the word "miemasen" means "I can't see". Ha ha ha…

Wow. I'm so out of it. But I love you guys who review me. Seriously, these reviews make my day. Yeah, I have no life.


	5. Seeing Double

**A/N: **Waaaaah! I didn't update yesterday! I'm a failure at life! GOMEN NASAI!

Ok, I know this is a totally lame excuse but I just didn't have any time to write yesterday. Yeah, I'm a loser.

**Chapter 5**

**Seeing Double**

"Ah! Kurowan—"

"Quiet."

"But Kurowan has—"

"You better shut your damn mouth, wizard!"

"Kurowan has grown a tail!" Fai chirped, clapping his hands joyfully.

"YOU STUPID ASS! I TOLD YOU TO KEEP YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH SHUT!" Kurogane roared, swinging a fist at the magician's face. Fai bent backwards to avoid the punch and grabbed the ninja's tail.

"Just look how cute and fluffy it is!" he sang, holding the sleek, furry tail to his cheek and rubbing his face up against it.

"LET GO OF MY DAMN TAIL, BASTARD!" the warrior shouted.

He jerked his tail out of the wizard's hand and dropped it. The tail swished angrily near the ninja's knees in exactly the same way that an annoyed cat's would. Kurogane muttered bitterly to himself; why wasn't Fai or Sakura growing any stupid body parts? Suddenly a mental image of Fai with a frog's tongue drifted across the ninja's mind. He could just see that son of a bitch magician using his new accessory to his advantage and shooting his tongue out to lick Kurogane's ear or neck when he wasn't paying attention. This thought angered him even further and he took his rage out on a low-hanging tree limb.

"I think Fai san is right, Kurogane san," Sakura said. "Your tail is very cute."

The ninja stopped abruptly and turned to face her, a vein throbbing in his forehead.

"Er…umm… I mean…ha ha…" Sakura laughed nervously, "just—just kidding!"

Kurogane huffed and turned back around as he continued to lead the way. He looked down just in time to avoid walking into a low, rusty metal fence.

"Hmm? What did you find, Kuromyu?" Fai asked, peeking around the ninja's shoulder. "Hey, it's a gate! Hyuuuu! Kuronya found a gate! Way to go Kuronya! You deserve a cookie!"

The wizard produced a cookie seemingly out of thin air and held it out to the warrior with an infuriating smile on his face. Kurogane's eye twitched.

"Get that sweet shit away from me," he growled.

"Look, the clock tower is just beyond those trees," Syaoran observed, pointing to the clock's glowing face through the branches.

Kurogane opened the gate and led the way through. As soon as all of them were inside, the gate slammed shut of its own accord, startling everyone.

"Hee hee! Kuropun was so startled that he got a bristle tail!" Fai giggled.

Indeed, Kurogane's cat tail had stiffened and puffed up at the sudden noise. Noticing this, the ninja's face took on a red flush.

"SHUT UP, DUMB ASS!" he snarled once more, again swinging his fist at the wizard.

"Ah! Look up there!" Sakura interrupted suddenly, pointing up at the clock.

Everyone turned their attention to the thing that the princess was pointing at. Standing up on the hour hand of the clock was a dark figure. The illumination from the clock's face shed enough light on him so that they could kind of make out his appearance. Oddly enough, the stranger bore a striking resemblance to…

"Hey look! It's Kuro chan!" Fai gasped excitedly, pointing up at the figure. Then he waved energetically. "Hi, Kuro chan!"

The alleged Kurogane double struck a rather girly pose as he waved merrily back at them. The Tsubasa group's Kurogane snorted derisively.

"I don't care if he's from a different world," the ninja said, "there's no way in hell I would ever do that. Not in my world and not in this one."

"Oh Kuropu, don't be such a killjoy," Fai beamed, smacking the ninja on the back. "Maybe this Kuropu just knows how to have fun!"

"Maybe _this _Kurogane is about to decapitate a certain dumb-ass magici--," the warrior began but was cut off by Fai shoving the cookie in his mouth. Kurogane choked and swallowed it with difficulty. "YOU DUMB ASS BASTARD! YOU NEARLY FREAKING KILLED ME! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!"

The ninja whipped out his sword and swung it at Fai, who ran away, waving his arms in the air and squealing with glee.

"He really does look like you, though, Kurogane san," Syaoran agreed.

"Hmph," Kurogane said. Deciding to give up his chase on the wizard, he put his blade away. "Well, are we gonna go on in or are we just gonna stand outside and decide whether that's me up there?"

The four travelers moved towards the clock tower somewhat warily. If that Kurogane up there was anything like the one they knew, it wouldn't be out of character for him to jump down on them for a surprise attack. Syaoran kept his eyes nervously on the dark figure but he didn't seem to be thinking along these lines; he just sat down on the edge of the hour hand, dangling and swinging his legs off the side as he watched them enter.

The inner sanctum of the clock tower was dark and nearly empty with only a torch in each corner to light their surroundings. In the center of the room was a panel with two switches on it. Fai approached it curiously and leaned down to examine the switches.

"It doesn't say what they do," he commented. "Oh well, I guess we'll just have to try them both!"

"No! Wait!" the ninja shouted, but the wizard ignored him and flicked a switch. There was a loud electrical buzz and then…silence.

"Nothing happened?" Sakura asked.

"But what was that noise, then?" Syaoran wondered aloud.

"Hmm, well that switch was no fun!" Fai pouted. "Let's try the other one."

The wizard flicked the other switch.

"YOU DUMB ASS!" Kurogane snapped. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH THOSE FREAKING SWITCHES!"

There was a loud grinding sound and one of the walls slid off to the side, revealing a hidden niche with some stairs that lead up. The four travelers looked uncertainly at each other.

"Should we try the stairs?" Sakura whispered.

Syaoran paused before nodding his head once and leading the way upwards.

The room they found themselves in next was one of the oddest that any of them had every seen; the stone floor ended abruptly, changing into a metal grate. The walls were tiled with yellow flagstones, a curious-looking trail of pink tiles snaking its way across the room on only one of the walls. There was a black rubber mat on the ground where the stone floor met the steel grating.

"What a weird ass room," Kurogane remarked as he looked around. "What's a place like this doing in a clock tower?"

"I don't know…" Fai said thoughtfully, frowning at Syaoran. Though the wizard hadn't voiced his thoughts, the boy knew what was on his mind: "were these strange obstacles supposed to be part of the illusion or had it been tampered with?". Who on earth would want an illusionary world that was littered with danger?

Syaoran stepped forward cautiously onto the black rubber mat. As soon as he put his weight on it, there was another loud grating sound and a stone door dropped quickly from the ceiling and blocked their way back.

"Ah ha ha… well, that can't be good," Fai laughed nervously.

Syaoran turned back around to face the metal grating that lay before him. The only way out of the room was to go across the strange flooring to the door on the other side of the room. Something about the metal floor seemed sinister though, and it made Syaoran nervous. Swallowing hard, focusing his mind on the task at hand, the boy took a tentative step forward. As soon as his foot touched the metal, there was a flash of light and a crackling sound and Syaoran was thrown back against the stone wall.

"SYAORAN KUN!" Sakura gasped, dashing to his side. "Are you alright!"

"I…I think so…" he replied slowly, blinking stars out of his eyes and rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the wall.

"So what happened there?" Kurogane asked no one in particular.

"It looked like Syaoran kun got shocked when he touched the metal part…" Fai mused. "The floor must be electrified."

Kurogane's eyes widened as a sudden burst of understanding came to him; Fai had turned on the electricity for the floor of this room when they had been downstairs. Now that they were trapped in this room their only choice was to deal with the repercussions of the wizard's actions and cross the electrocuted floor to the other side of the room.

"DAMN YOU, MAGICIAN! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TURNED ON THE ELECTRICTY TO THIS PLACE!"

Fai laughed nervously again and rubbed the back of his blond head. "Heh heh…oops."

Kurogane sighed, clenching his fist in frustration. "The only thing we can do now is get to the other side."

"Sakura chan!" Syaoran cut in suddenly. The princess's energy had just completely run out and she had collapsed into the boy's arms.

"Great. Of course. Perfect timing," the ninja muttered sarcastically. "It's not her lost feathers that are doing this to her; that girl's a freaking narcoleptic!"

Kurogane sighed resignedly and picked up the sleeping princess, draping her across his broad shoulders so that he could carry her across.

"Hyuuuu! Kurotan is so manly!" Fai cheered.

"You're gonna die real soon, bastard," the ninja vowed under his breath.

"There must be a way to get to the other side…" Syaoran said. "But how?"

Fai and Kurogane both studied their surroundings carefully, looking for inspiration.

"Can we use that rubber mat to cross on?" the wizard suggested after a moment.

Syaoran bent down and tried to move it but it seemed to be stuck to the floor.

"It's stuck," he reported.

The ninja remained thoughtfully silent as he scraped his brain for a brilliant plan. Then his eyes fell on the pink-patterned wall and he frowned.

"Do you think it has something to do with that strange wall there?" Kurogane asked.

"I bet it does!" Fai gasped excitedly. "Hyuuuu! My Kurobun is so smart!"

"That must be a map of the track we have to follow to get to the other side of the room," he said, ignoring the wizard.

The warrior cautiously approached the metal floor, took a deep breath and stepped onto the square of him which corresponded to one of the squares of the flagstone wall. Just as Kurogane had guessed, nothing happened to him when he touched the grate.

"I wanna try it!" Fai called.

The mage backed up against the wall and took a running jump at the square. He landed on the edge of the safe square, nearly falling off. Luckily Kurogane was able to grab his hand in time to help him keep his balance.

Ah, you saved me, Kuropon," Fai grinned apologetically.

Kurogane blushed slightly and turned his attention to Syaoran who was getting ready to make a jump for the safe spot where his three traveling companions were waiting. He ran, he jumped, he landed perfectly in the center of the square.

"Show off," grumbled the ninja.

**A/N: **I was short on writing time again today but I didn't wanna let y'all down and not update at all so here's a bit more for you. There I go with that lame-ass excuse again. Someone should twist my ear off and bury it in the yard.


	6. Kurogane vs Kurogane!

**A/N:** Woot! It's the weekend! I'm totally pumped and ready to kick some ass on this story! I really appreciate the reviews, guys. I love you all.

I expect I'll be able to post at least one more chapter today so check back later!

Now…

LET'S KICK SOME TSUBASA FANFIC BUTT! WHOOOOOOOO!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

**Kurogane versus…Kurogane!**

Kurogane wiped the sweat from his forehead, pushing his damp bangs out of his face. He was pretty strong and Sakura was fairly light but it was still no easy task to carry her across the electrified floor on his shoulders, jumping from each safe zone to the next. Thus, by the time he had reached the center of the room, he was already tired.

"Kurogane san, I can carry Sakura chan the rest of the way," Syaoran offered.

"Don't be…stupid," the ninja panted. "She's almost…the same size…as you. There's no way… you could make these… jumps with her… on your shoulders."

Syaoran looked at the floor. Now that Kurogane pointed this out, he realized that it was true. But he wanted to be the one to take care of Sakura. Collecting her feathers was his mission and the ninja had been unwillingly dragged along. Syaoran hated it when he found himself unable to pull his own weight and had to rely on someone else to do it because it made him feel like a burden. Fai put a hand on Syaoran's shoulder and bent down so that he could be level with the smaller boy.

"Don't worry about it, Syaoran kun," the wizard said with an encouraging smile. "We know you'd do it if you were able to. It's ok to let someone else help you out when you can't do something by yourself. Besides, Kuromin hasn't been doing much recently; we need to make him feel useful, too."

At this comment, the ninja's head shot up. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, I HAVEN'T BEEN DOING MUCH! I'VE DONE A LOT, YOU BASTARD!"

"Sure Kurorin," Fai grinned, patting Kurogane on the head as if he were a small child, "whatever makes you happy."

The warrior got to his feet once more, glaring at the magician and muttering a stream of obscenities under his breath. Fai, for his part, just smiled innocently and waited for Kurogane to lead the way once more.

* * *

Only four more squares left until they reached the safety of the stone floor on the other side of the room. Kurogane's muscles were sore but he was determined to make it across so that he could meet his look-alike that they had seen standing on the hour hand of the clock. He had a score to settle; that other guy had no right to strike girly poses while hanging out in a body that looked like his! …Jerk…grumble grumble… 

"Ooh, Kurowanko is angry at the other Kurowanko!" Fai observed, prodding the ninja playfully in the shoulder.

"Huh?" Kurogane grunted. "Don't tell me you're reading my mind again! I thought you couldn't do that anymore!"

Fai shrugged. "I'm not really sure what's going on. It seems to come and go as it pleases… but it's working right now."

Kurogane's cat-tail stiffened nervously again as he spun around, putting his back to the wizard.

"Oh ho! Kurotan is getting nervous again!" Fai sang. "And he's trying very hard to keep his mind blank… but I can see some interesting things slipping in theeeeeere!"

Heat crept up into the ninja's face as he hopped to the next safe tile, hoping to divert the wizard's attention from him.

Fai laughed. "I agree, Kuro chan! That would be fun! But I don't think now is the time… we should wait until we're…_alone_."

Kurogane's tail bristled again; had his mind let something slip! He had been doing his best not to think about anything but it didn't seem to be working.

Syaoran, not sure about what was going on, did his best to ignore this suggestive conversation and jumped onto the square next to Kurogane. Fai continued to snigger to himself as he made a leap for the next safety zone.

It was his preoccupation with the ninja's thoughts that caused him to misjudge the distance and miss the square. There was a loud buzz, a bright flash and the wizard was tossed against the wall on the side they had started from. He slid down the stone and crumpled limply on the floor like a rag doll.

"Fai san!" Syaoran shouted.

"Damn!" Kurogane said, his hands balling themselves into fists as he had to restrain himself from hurrying to the sorcerer's side.

Syaoran showed no such restraint and made to jump back to the square he had just come from, wanting to make sure that Fai was alright but the ninja stopped him by putting a hand heavily on his shoulder.

"Don't go back. I'll help you and the princess get across so that you can keep going," he said grimly. "I'll go back for him as soon as you've made it across."

"But--!" Syaoran started to protest before Kurogane cut him off.

"You have a mission to do. You already decided you would do it, right? I'll deal with him in just a minute but you have to go on."

"Right," the boy nodded.

Syaoran and Kurogane rushed through the last four squares somewhat carelessly in their mutual concern for Fai though Syaoran was the only one who would readily admit to this being the reason.

Once they made it to the stone floor, the ninja knelt down and carefully removed the princess from his shoulders, passing her into Syaoran's arms. The boy held her close, and for a moment, Kurogane felt a pang of jealousy. The brat was lucky to be able to hold close the one he loved. He may never be able to do that. Syaoran looked concernedly into Kurogane's eyes.

"Kurogane san…please, take care of Fai san," he implored.

The ninja stared back at him, a look of mild surprise registered on his features. Then he snorted and looked away.

"I'm not making any promises," Kurogane muttered.

Syaoran picked up Sakura with some difficulty, pulling himself and the girl to their feet.

He carried her to the door leading to the next room, throwing one last glance at his two traveling companions before continuing on to the unknown.

* * *

Without Sakura's weight on his shoulders, Kurogane was able to clear the obstacle of the electrified floor with a speed and agility unrivaled by any. He was at the wizard's side in a flash. The ninja's first move was to put his ear to Fai's chest to check his vital signs. He breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of a heartbeat pounding beneath the ribcage. 

Kurogane slid an arm under Fai's shoulders and supported him into a sitting position. Then he paused, uncertain what his next move should be.

"Hey," he said as he gently shook the mage's shoulders. There was no response; Fai's eyes remain closed and his body unresponsive.

Kurogane gave him another little shake. "Hey. Magician."

Nothing happened. The ninja was a little more worried now. "OI! GET UP, DAMMIT!" he shouted nervously. For a moment, he got no response but then Fai slowly and dazedly opened his eyes, trying to focus on Kurogane's face.

"Kuro…chin?" he said slowly.

The warrior did his best to keep the relief he was feeling from showing on his face and prayed to God that Fai wasn't still reading minds.

"Ouchy…my head hurts…" the sorcerer groaned.

"What do you expect? You hit it on a stone wall," Kurogane pointed out, breathing a little easier now that he was getting responses out of Fai. "If you'd just freaking pay attention to what you were doing instead of messing with me all the time, this never would have happened."

Fai smiled apologetically at him. "I'm sorry, Kuronro. I won't do it again."

The ninja stared at him. "I didn't mean that… I just meant you should watch what you're doing when we're in a dangerous situation…"

The sorcerer held his gaze for a moment before his face lit up. "Hyuuuu! Kuronyanko just gave me permission to mess with him!"

Kurogane's face turned a bit red. "I did not! I just said that you'd better pay attention from now on!"

"Whatever, Daddy," Fai giggled, poking the ninja's cheek playfully. "I heard what you said, loud and clear."

"DON'T POKE ME, YOU DIPSHIT!" Kurogane roared.

The wizard laughed and tried to get to his feet, a task which he managed after using the wall to support himself.

"I take it you can't make it across this thing by yourself," the ninja sighed.

"No…I don't suppose I could…" Fai mused.

Muttering bitterly to himself, Kurogane lifted the sorcerer onto his shoulders as he had Sakura, and without another word began to cross the electrified floor one more time. Fai lay still compliantly, resting his cheek on the warrior's sturdy shoulder. He closed his eyes as he silently rejoiced in the moment, wishing that it would never end. On Kurogane's shoulders, even in this dangerous room, the wizard felt safer than he ever had in his life.

Of course, the moment, as they tend to do when one is enjoying them, was over much too quickly and the ninja was soon setting him down before turning on his heel and leading the way through the door Syaoran had used. Fai smiled a little to himself when he noticed that Kurogane was carefully keeping his back to him, his ears bright red once more.

* * *

Syaoran struggled up the stairs, dragging the princess along with him. He stopped many times and tried to find some easier way of carrying her but his efforts got him nowhere so he just pulled her up the steps one at a time. His back was starting for ache with the effort. 

Syaoran paused once more for a break, holding Sakura to his chest as he leaned back against the wall to catch his breath. She looked so peaceful, unaware of his struggles. Though her timing for falling asleep was inconvenient he was somewhat thankful for it at the same time. When he could look upon his princess and let his teenage fantasies run rampant in his mind as he drank in her beauty, life was good. And when he could do this without running the risk of her catching him at it, life was even better. And when he could do both these things as he nibbled happily on a doughnut, life was kick-ass…but he had yet to reach that stage.

Syaoran pulled himself to his feet again, feeling magically reenergized now that his mind was full of princesses and doughnuts. Life was good.

* * *

"Ooh, more stairs," the wizard observed. "What are the chances of you carrying me up them, Kuromun?" 

"About a trillion to one," Kurogane muttered as he began to climb them.

"Hyuuuu! I have a chance!" Fai whistled. "I wasn't expecting that! Kuropon must like me!"

"Hmph… you flatter yourself," the ninja grunted.

"Kya! It's my lucky day! Kuronya didn't deny it!"

"Shut up, dumb ass."

The two of them began their climb in awkward silence, and with much more ease than Syaoran had just moments before them, though Fai's legs were still hurting a little from being shocked and thrown against the wall.

A mischievous grin spread across the sorcerer's face as an idea occurred to him.

"Waah! Help me, Kuropu! I'm falling!"

Quick as a flash, Kurogane whipped around and grabbed Fai around the waist to keep him from falling.

"Hee hee," the mage giggled, the sound slightly muffled against the ninja's chest. "Just kiiiiiding! Made ya look! My, and look how tightly you're holding me! You must've been really worried, Kurotan!"

Kurogane's blood boiled as he shoved Fai roughly away, his face burning.

"YOU BASTARD! I'M NOT GONNA HELP YOU NEXT TIME!"

_Sure Kuromin_, the wizard thought smugly. _I bet you won't_. His stomach writhed in anticipation; he would soon be putting this theory to the test and he was sure he already knew what the results would be.

* * *

"You should get ready, erm…Kurogane san," Syaoran said as he pushed his way into the room at the top of the stairs and carefully laid Sakura on the floor. "Fai san and the other Kurogane san are coming." 

"Okaaaay!" Kurogane sang, getting to his feet. "I'm reeeeeady!"

Syaoran laughed, partially amused, partially nervous. He both excitedly and nervously awaited Kurogane's reaction. Finally, the main part of the plan was being set into motion.

"You should get ready too, Syaoran," Kurogane reminded the boy.

"Oh, right," he said. "Come over here and help me out, Kurogane san."

* * *

"Go on, Kurorun," Fai whispered, suppressing a huge grin with difficulty. "Open it." 

Kurogane looked at him suspiciously, cocking an eyebrow. "Why don't you open it?"

"Look at how big and heavy that door is," the wizard pointed out. "There's no way it could be opened by little old me."

The ninja scowled as he threw his shoulder against the heavy wooden door; that magician was looking thoroughly over-excited about this whole ordeal. It made him think once again that there was some kind of conspiracy at work here and that he was the only one who wasn't in on it. He shook his head as the door creaked open; that might be possible if the wizard had been given time to plan but they never knew where they would end up next. It's not as if Fai had chosen the next world himself.

* * *

Kurogane had been expecting a wide variety of different things to pop out at him as he opened that door; everything from demons (like those from Outo Country), to possums (like those they had encountered in that sunny forest), to a herd of angry boy scouts (hey, you never know). It turned out to be the thing he supposed he should have guessed in the first place but had completely forgotten about in all the commotion with Fai getting shocked and all: it was _him_. Kurogane was already inside that room, waiting for him. 

His double smiled wickedly at him, waiting in an offensive stance.

"It's about time you showed up," he said. "You sure took your time getting here didn't you?"

The real Kurogane drew his blade. "You've got some nerve, bastard. I'm gonna slice you in half."

"Oh yeah? Bring it."

Kurogane brought it. "That's for the girly pose," he snarled, his wolfish smile widening as he watched a bit of blood leak from the other guy's shoulder.

"Ouchyyyyy!" his double whined, clamping a hand to his wound and stomping his foot childishly. "You're gonna pay for that, you jerk!"

Kurogane snorted. He doubted it.

* * *

**A/N: **Arrgh… I'm stupid. Me and my retarded inconsistencies. I decided to bring back that mind reading thing for a bit because people liked it and I expect it'll crop up at least one more time before this story is done. 

But yeah, when I was first starting this thing I was trying to decide whether or not to wait until it was finished to start posting it. In the end, I decided to post it a chapter at a time because it seemed to be the "thing to do". I mean, everyone else was doing it. I was like "yeah, I'll leave 'em in suspense! Ha ha! I'm badasssss!" Pfft. Good choice, moron. I go back and re-read what I've written when I get stuck and now I'm noticing all these flaws that I would have been able to fix if I'd just waited to post the damn thing. AAAARGGHH! I'M NEVER DOING IT THIS WAY AGAIN!

Oh, but I have so many more ideas for Tsubasa fanfics that I can't wait to try…tee hee hee!


	7. Betrayal

**A/N: **Well, there I went telling lies again. I was sure that I would have been able to finish this beast last night… heh heh, oops. My bad. But anyhow, here it is. Read. Enjoy. Review. And for heaven's sake, don't forget to feed the cat.

… or something…

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Betrayal**

After getting that first strike in, Kurogane was having a hard time gaining any more ground in the fight. His double was employing moves so odd and utterly ridiculous that it was almost impossible to hit the guy. On the brighter side though, at least his double wasn't managing to do him much damage either. The ninja had never seen anything like it; it was almost as if the guy had spent most of his training working on how to dodge and had therefore gotten very little practice in striking. The blows he did manage had little power behind them anyway.

The real Kurogane held his sword in both hands and charged the imposter, aiming to make a fatal blow. Fake Kurogane did a strange sort of ballet twirl out of the way, attempting to get around behind his attacker to land a surprise hit.

_This guy is a freaking novice!_ Kurogane thought as he easily avoided the attack.

"Kurogane is getting tired…" his double panted. He leaned against the wall next to Syaoran and Sakura who were tied up, side by side, on the floor.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to end this now, then," the real Kurogane smirked.

He was just about to use his signature "hama ryuuoujin" move when the clock began to chime again. This wouldn't have stopped him if it hadn't been for Syaoran's yelling.

"Sakura hime!"

Kurogane whipped around to see what all the commotion was about. Then he saw it; though the princess's eyes were closed, a strange glimmering could be seen beneath her eyelids.

"Mekyo!" someone said.

He dashed forward to cut the girl's ropes, not sure what good this would do, when the other Kurogane grabbed him by the back of his collar. The sudden restraint caused him to choke and fall on his butt. The fake Kurogane came around and sat on his stomach, pressing his thumbs on a precisely chosen spot on either side of his neck.

The ninja couldn't move. His double applied a little more pressure, a smug grin spreading across his face. The real Kurogane could feel himself getting sleepy, consciousness slipping away from him at the attack on his pressure points.

"You loose," the copy whispered in his ear.

The warrior tried to utter a final insult but was couldn't speak a word. Unable to stay awake any longer, Kurogane closed his eyes. And things were rather dark.

* * *

Fai helped Syaoran untie himself. The boy snatched up Sakura, now a chicken, and held her close.

"What will we do, Fai san!" he cried. "Sakura hime has become a chicken!"

"Don't worry Syaoran!" the imposter ninja said. "Kurogane sensed the feather! It's higher up in the clock tower! Once you get it back, everyone who turned into a chicken will become human again!"

Syaoran sighed. "Thank goodness."

Then he looked over at the real Kurogane; Fai had gone to his side and the ninja's head was now resting in his lap. The wizard's face had an unshakably serene expression as he brushed back the unconscious warrior's bangs.

"Will he be alright, Fai san?" the boy asked timidly.

"Yes, Kuro chan will be fine," Fai said quietly, continuing to run his fingers through Kurogane's raven hair.

"Erm… then—then maybe we should…uh…" Syaoran stammered, somewhat shaken by Fai's display of affection toward the ninja.

"…Right," the mage said, snapping out of his reverie. "I could use some help with this, then."

The other Kurogane bounded over to Fai and took one of the ninja's arms and draped it over his shoulder while the sorcerer took the other.

"Do you want to go on and get Sakura chan's feather while we get rid of Kuropan?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. We'll be waiting for you. You know where to find us."

"Right," Syaoran nodded. Without another word, the boy scooped up Sakura-pyo in his arms and exited the room, heading for the next set of stairs.

* * *

Kurogane opened his eyes and sat up. Where was he? The room was kind of dark with only a few candles lighting the area. It looked strangely familiar… But his brain was feeling foggy so that he couldn't grasp the memory.

"Perhaps I can help you with that," a deep voice said from a dark corner. He looked into the black abyss of the room, squinting to make out the owner of the voice. That's when he saw it: a big, pink, plush, bear-face-shaped pillow, and it was talking to him.

He stared. He blinked. Then he shouted "OH, SHIT!" The ninja jumped to his feet, drawing his sword.

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

The bear pillow laughed sinisterly. "I had a feeling that might work."

Keeping his eyes trained nervously on the carnivorous pillow, Kurogane dashed from the room, slamming the door shut behind him

* * *

(**A/N: **Alright, I'm getting tired of Kuro's double not having his own name, so from now on, I shall refer to him as Kurotwo. That works nicely.)

* * *

They were all in the living room waiting for him. Everyone; including Yamazaki and Princess Sakura, who seemed to have returned to their human forms. In fact, the only one from their group that Kurogane didn't see was Mokona but he couldn't honestly say that he was missing the obnoxious manjuu bun.

But he did see that the fake Kurogane was also there with them. The real Kurogane glared at him as he approached, seriously thinking about giving the bastard a kick in the shins.

"Hey bastard, I'm seriously thinking about giving you a kick in the shins," the ninja growled.

Kurotwo looked at him, an infuriating grin, not unlike the one Fai often wore, on his face. "Look at me!" he giggled. "I'm Kurogane!"

"No you're not, you dumb ass!"

Then Kurogane noticed something strange: not one of his other companions even acknowledged his presence. Curiously, he waved his hand in front of Fai's face. There was no reaction. Frowning, the ninja waved his hand in front of Syaoran's face. The boy blinked, as if feeling the draft from the hand moving past his eyes, but just stared blankly forward. Kurotwo plopped down on the ground, still grinning stupidly.

"Ooh, look at me," he said in almost a taunting manner. "I'm Kurogane and I'm picking my nose!"

"Umm…Kurogane san…please don't," Syaoran stammered. "That's really gross…"

Fai sat down next to Kurotwo and pulled the ninja's finger out of his nose.

"No, no, Kurochin," he scolded lightly. "That's yucky."

"YOU BASTARD! DON'T YOU DARE PICK YOUR NOSE IN MY BODY!" Kurogane roared.

He turned his back on the pair of them, glaring in Sakura and Syaoran's direction. The princess's face started going red, something the ninja found odd considering that they supposedly were unable to see him. He stomped down the row towards her, his most formidable scowl on his face.

"Ah…D-don't you think…Kurogane s-san is acting… strange?" she commented, her face becoming more scarlet by the moment.

"Kuronya! You're so much fun now!" Fai squealed. "Hold me!"

"Ok!" Kurotwo agreed.

The wizard jumped on him, fastening himself onto the fake Kurogane like a leech.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!" he shouted. "GET OFF OF HIM!"

Fai completely ignored him and continued to glomp on Kurotwo.

"HEY!" the ninja yelled. "OI! I'M TALKING TO YOU! LISTEN TO ME DAMMIT!"

"Did you hear something, Kuropun?" Fai asked Kurotwo.

"Nope!" the copy said happily.

Smoke practically pouring from the ninja's ears, Kurogane turned on his heel and stomped out of the house, unable to bear being ignored any longer.

When he got outside, he realized that though it was nearly pitch black out, there were people milling around everywhere, talking, laughing and climbing on rocks. He couldn't see any chickens around so apparently everything was back to normal. Kurogane scowled again; everything except for the fact that no one seemed to be able to see him.

He approached a group of young girls that were all chattering joyfully in a tight knot. It was very possible that his group was just messing with him and pretending that they couldn't see him.

"Anyway, he was pecking me like this and I was like, 'hey. Quit pecking me.' Except I was a chicken, you know? So it sounded kinda like "cluck cluck cluck." And he's like 'cluck cluck' which, I'm not sure, but I thought it must've meant something like 'make me' or something. And then I was like—"

"Hey," Kurogane interrupted. "Can you see me?"

The girls (whom I shall now refer to as 'the chick clique') stopped talking and looked at each other, a peculiar expression on their faces. A wave of relief washed over the ninja; so he wasn't invisible after all. The chick clique put their heads together, pushing Kurogane out of their circle, started whispering excitedly and proceeded to burst into fits of poorly suppressed giggles.

"He's cute!" one of them hissed.

"Shhh! Don't look at him!" another one whispered frantically through her laughter.

"You guys! Quit laughing!" the leader scolded, though she was also having a hard time keeping a straight face. "Just pretend like nothing happened!"

"HEY! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Kurogane snapped, brandishing his fist. "QUIT TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE, BITCHES!"

The chick clique forced themselves to stop laughing and tried to resume their conversation, though they were unable to look at one another for fear of bursting into giggles again.

Muttering angrily to himself, the ninja stomped away. Something strange was going on here and he was determined to find out what it was. But how could he make any headway on the problem if no one would talk to him? Kurogane wandered aimlessly as he mulled this problem over in his mind.

Before he knew it, he was on the edge of town, near Minoru's house. He thought briefly about going in there and beating the rich bastard into a bloody pulp. True, it wouldn't help him solve his problem but at least it would make him feel better. Smiling wolfishly, Kurogane pushed back his sleeves and got ready to leap the fence into Minoru's yard when a voice stopped him.

"Hey, look! It's Kurogane!" the voice trilled. "How's it going, chum!"

The ninja turned around and found himself facing…himself. A snarl formed on his face and he turned away from the fence to face Kurotwo.

"You bastard! What's going on here! Talk, or I'll cut you in half!"

"Why do you keep wanting to cut me in half?" Kurotwo demanded. "Why not cut me in thirds? Or perhaps sixteenths?"

"QUIT AVOIDING THE QUESTION!"

"You wanna know what's going on? Do you _really_ wanna know?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? I don't think you're gonna like the answer very much."

"So what! I don't care what the answer is! Just tell me what the hell is going on!"

Kurotwo looked him in the eye very seriously. "The truth is…"

Kurogane leaned forward, listening intently.

"The truth is…"

Kurogane's eyes widened a little; he was actually dreading the answer.

"The truth is…"

"TELL ME ALREADY!" the ninja snapped.

"I'm not telling!" Kurotwo sang, jumping up in the air and doing a pirouette. "Tee hee hee hee! Kurogane's not telling! Kurogane's not telling!"

"YOU BASTARD!" Kurogane shouted, pulling out his sword. "I'M GONNA CUT YOU IN HALF!"

"There you go with that 'cutting me in half' thing again," Kurotwo frowned as he continued to twirl like a top. "I've heard that one already. Come up with something different."

"YOU'RE GONNA DIE, SON OF A BITCH!"

"Kyaaa! Kurogane is angry!" Kurotwo squealed.

Then the imposter became serious. "Ha. That was fun. But, all joking aside… I'm afraid that if anyone here is going to die, it will have to be _you_."

Kurogane smirked, glad that something he could understand was about to happen: a fight to the death. "I think not."

Kurotwo threw back his head and laughed. "You're right," he said. "Some other people might have to die too."

"I'm with you, Kuropun!"

"So am I."

"All of us are."

Three figures stepped out of the bushes that littered the side of the road. Kurogane's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

Fai, Syaoran and Sakura approached the showdown, taking their places behind the fake Kurogane.

"What are you all doing, helping out the enemy!" the ninja demanded.

"I'm sorry Kurogane san, or whoever you really are," Syaoran said, the shadows that fell across his face making him look truly evil, "but I cannot allow you to live. Not when you are trying to kill my friend."

He drew Hien and smiled determinedly at Kurotwo, who ruffled his hair.

"Nor can I," Fai said, taking a handful of darts from his coat pocket and fanning them out like playing cards.

Sakura stepped up silently beside the wizard, a frown of concentration on her pretty face and a staff of wood in her delicate hand.

Kurogane stared at them all, wearing a shocked expression. They met his gaze with nothing but malice in their eyes.

The ninja sighed resignedly and put on his game face, though someone who was looking closely may have been able to see the disappointment and betrayal behind it. This regret was for all of them but his gaze lingered especially long on Fai. Just before the wizard's attack, Kurogane could have sworn he saw a glimmer of longing in those crystal blue eyes…but as he whipped a dart at the ninja, it vanished and Kurogane decided that he must have imagined it.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh ho! Look at me and my bad self! I'm leaving it at a suspenseful part! Hee hee hee!

I do hope that the answer isn't as obvious as it seems to me, but then again… I'm the one writing this thing so I ought to know where it's going. I think I'll be able to wrap this up in the next chapter. I also think I'll have that up today but… don't listen to me 'cause I'm just a poopy liar pants. Later dudes!


	8. Plot Exposed

**A/N: **Woot! Last chapter!

I really hope it turned out. I can't tell for sure.

But I'm so glad to be finished! I have so many more ideas that I can't wait to get started on! EEEEEEK! Those'll be up pretty soon.

Alright now, read. If you don't, bad things will happen. I might even sic Culver's Man on you.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Plot Exposed**

It was Sakura who moved forward first. She looked absolutely terrified as she drew back her staff and Kurogane felt a twinge of pity for her… until she swung it at his head. After that point, he rather lost all sympathy for her.

Sakura clamped her eyes shut as she swung again. The ninja easily ducked her attack and dashed forward to dispatch the princess. He might have been able to take her out right then if he hadn't caught sight of her face at that moment; her cheeks were pale and tears were streaming down them. Kurogane stopped, confused.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

The ninja stared at her. What was going on here? His distraction cost him that time; taking advantage of his momentary stupidity, Sakura smacked him over the head with her staff. He swore under his breath, wiping blood from his lip before grabbing her staff and prying it out of her fingers.

Sakura looked down at her now empty hands, which were shaking. Kurogane moved forward and applied pressure to her temples with his fingers. Her eyelids fluttered and she collapsed into his arms. He moved her off to the side of the road and gently laid her in the grass.

Then the ninja stood and brushed himself off, looking expectantly between his remaining traveling companions and his double. Syaoran stepped forward, holding Hien defensively in front of him. A bolt of lighting cracked across the sky and it began to rain, softly at first, but quickly crescendoing into a downpour.

Syaoran lunged, swinging his blade. Kurogane blocked it with ease, though the contact made a shower of sparks. The younger boy jumped backwards, landing on all fours, and darted forward to make another frontal attack. Kurogane opted to land his next blow with his fist rather than his sword, not wanting to permanently or fatally injure the boy.

Syaoran's eyes widened as the warrior's fist connected with his ribs, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying. He landed in the grass next to his princess, a few yards away from where he had started, his back making a nasty hollow sound as he hit.

There was only one traveling companion left. Kurogane looked Fai straight in the eye, daring him to throw one of his darts.

Fai took that dare. The ninja hissed in pain as the sharp projectile grazed his cheek, just beneath his eye. Kurogane stared at Fai, the pain in his eyes becoming more pronounced than ever but the sorcerer just grinned maliciously back at him. Then he threw another dart. The warrior rolled out of the way and threw himself at the wizard's feet, knocking him to the ground.

Kurogane had Fai pinned, rain dripping down from his hair and splashing on the mage's face.

"What will you do, Kuro chan?" he whispered. "Will you kill me?"

The ninja was silent for a moment, just letting the rain wash over him, bathing him in disappointment.

"No," he said finally, then he put his hands around Fai's throat, holding them there until the sorcerer passed out.

Once the wizard was cold and still beneath his fingers, Kurogane stayed by his side for a moment. It was taking all his self control to keep from scooping Fai up in his arms and holding him close. His wet black hair hung in front of his face, obscuring his expression. Kurotwo watched him thoughtfully.

Then Kurogane stood up and took out his sword once more. It was just him and the impostor now and the ninja had no intention of letting the other live. He would kill him if it was the last thing he ever did. Kurogane slashed at the fake, who jumped out of the way just as he had back in the clock tower.

The ninja's attacks became faster and more violent, his rage increasing to a level he had never reached before. Kurotwo was doing an amazing job dodging attack but he still got a nice-sized portion of cuts and scrapes. Even being the great dodger, he was unable to avoid a few hacks that Kurogane delivered him.

The ground became slick in the rain. Kurotwo jumped to miss another attack. He lost his balance and fell flat on his back. Kurogane put a foot on his stomach, holding him down, and glared at the figure beneath his foot.

"And now," Kurogane whispered evilly, "it's time for you to die, bastard."

The ninja brought back the blade behind his head, aiming for the imposter's stomach. There was a weak moan from somewhere off to the side but Kurogane couldn't be bothered to focus his attention on it.

He brought his sword down at Kurotwo's stomach. He had almost managed to land the final blow when something horrible happened.

Fai, sacrificing himself in an attempt to save the fake ninja, dove in front of the blade.

The sword went right through both Fai and Kurotwo, pinning them both down in a most grueling manner.

"NO!" Kurogane screamed, dropping his sword and falling to his knees. He looked down at Fai, at the blade that passed through his vital organs, and knew that the wizard was done for. There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that he would make it.

Fai looked up at him from his position on top of the impostor, smiling unseeingly.

"That… that hurt… Kurowanko," the wizard gasped. "I… I don't think…I can get… get up… help me…"

His face ghastly pale, Kurogane took Fai's hand between his and squeezed it.

"You're… crushing my…fingers," the sorcerer moaned in agony as his eyes rolled back into his head. Then they closed and he became very still and very quiet.

"NOOO!" Kurogane screamed. He ripped his blade out of the wizard, tossing it carelessly to the side, and dragged him off of Kurotwo.

"GET UP! GET UP, YOU USELESS BASTARD!"

The ninja shook Fai violently, causing the wizard's head to loll from side to side. There was no doubt about it; the sorcerer was dead.

Kurogane dropped heavily onto the pavement with a splash. He looked down at Fai's body, limp and cold, in his arms, his eyes wide with horror.

"You left, too…" he breathed. "They all leave…Mother, Father, Tomoyo hime…now you…"

The ninja buried his face in Fai's injured chest, not caring in the least that he was now covered in blood. He held the sorcerer as tightly as he could, rocking back and forth in the downpour. There was a feeling as if someone was squeezing his throat and refused to let go. Why did they all have to end up leaving him? Everyone he had ever really cared about always ended up letting him down so badly that he thought he would never recover. Why did he even allow himself to care about anyone when he knew that this was how it would end?

He brushed Fai's soaked bangs out of his face, taking one last look at the beautiful mage. Without realizing what he was doing, Kurogane lowered his lips to Fai's very slowly.

"Fai," he whispered, their lips only centimeters apart now. "I…"

Kurogane couldn't make himself say another word. Even though he knew Fai couldn't hear him, he just couldn't bring himself to speak his mind. The ninja sighed, hating himself. Why couldn't he just say it? He buried his face in Fai's chest once more.

Suddenly, a slender arm snaked its way around Kurogane's waist.

"It's ok, Kuronyan," a voice cooed. "Don't cry."

The ninja was so shocked, he felt as if he were having a heart attack. What the hell was going on here! Slim fingers were running backwards through his hair and he could feel warmth in the body in his arms again.

Hardly daring to believe what he was experiencing, Kurogane slowly lifted his head.

It was no longer raining. They were sitting on the bare wooden floor of the ninja's room in Outo Country. The room was bathed in sunlight and birds were singing just outside the window. Fai was watching him, a soft smile on his fair-skinned face.

"But—but you… I thought…" Kurogane stammered stupidly, looking around again.

They were all there; him, Fai, Syaoran, Sakura, and, where Kurotwo had been, Mokona.

"It was all a joke, Kuromin," the wizard grinned. "In honor of a holiday they celebrate in this country called 'April Fool's Day'."

"A… A joke?" the warrior repeated.

"That's right," Fai nodded, his smile widening. "The whole thing was an illusion. Mokona and I planned it and Syaoran and Sakura agreed to help us out."

"The whole time…?" Kurogane stared at the sorcerer, whom he was still holding in his arms, unable to believe what he was hearing. Sure, the thought that there was some sort of conspiracy going on had crossed his mind a few times but he hadn't considered that this could actually be the case. "The…the whole time…?"

Fai laughed, nodding.

"Mokona used one of his 108 secret talents so that he could look just like Kurogane!" the white creature squeaked joyfully. "You fell for it, big time!"

The ninja blinked again. Then he looked over at Sakura and Syaoran, who were huddled together, their heads bowed in guilt, blushing furiously.

"We're sorry Kurogane san," Syaoran muttered. "Fai san needed help, so…"

"Y-yeah…he wanted to cheer you up…s-so we both agreed to help," Sakura stuttered nervously, looking up at him with puppy eyes. "I-I mean…you just looked so sad…It h-hurt me to see you… in so much p-pain, Kurogane san."

"Eh? Cheer me up?" Kurogane said, his scowl deepening. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"After you saw Tomoyo chan in the marketplace a few days ago, you got so depressed, Kuro chan," Fai replied. "I just wanted to see you smile again."

"So you played a prank on me?" the warrior repeated, still incredulous.

"Yep. None of it was real, so you don't need to worry," the wizard said softly. "I'm not really dead."

He reached up and gently wiped the tears from the ninja's face. "You were really worried about me…that's so sweet!"

Kurogane sat there for a few more moments, stupefied, heat rising in his face. Then came the explosion.

"I WASN'T WORRIED ABOUT YOU, YOU SCRAWNY BASTARD!" he roared, jumping to his feet and throwing Fai off of him. "AND I SURE AS HELL WASN'T CRYING!"

The wizard's face broke into a wide smile. "But Kurorin, your eyes are red."

"THEY ARE NOT!" Kurogane shouted, hastily wiping his face on his sleeve, his cheeks becoming even redder. "YOU'RE GONNA DIE REAL SOON!"

"Kyaaaa!" Fai squealed gleefully. "Kurowanko is angry!"

"GET BACK HERE, YOU DUMB ASS! I'M GONNA CUT YOU IN HALF!"

"There's that 'cut you in half' thing again. You need to get some new threats, Kuropon!"

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE SO DEAD!"

Syaoran and Sakura looked at each other nervously.

"Should we tell them that we really did get your feather back?" the boy asked.

"No… I think that would kind of ruin the point of the joke," Sakura answered.

Syaoran nodded and returned to watching the ninja chase the wizard around the room. As much as it disturbed him to say so, those two were quite a pair.

* * *

**A/N:** YEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAA! ALL DONE! ALL DONE! WOOT! WOOT!

Phew… yeah. That feels good. So, you likes? Yay? Nay? Review onegai shimasu!

Oh, here; let me part with words of wisdom. Guriguri kudasai! (That's Japanese for "give me a noogie please!") Ha! I learned that this weekend while reading ch. 93 of Tsubasa, which, by the way, KICKS ASS! I shan't spill any details… wouldn't want to spoil it for y'all…


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